The Auction
by leafyaki
Summary: On a warm July day, Lenalee receives some startling news about a certain redhead. In a fit of inspiration, she carries out an Auction in an attempt to match-make Allen and Lavi – with dubious results and plenty of mixed feelings along the way. Allen/Lavi.
1. The Twenty One Year Old Virgin

**Title**: The Auction  
**Character(s)/Pairing(s)**: Allen/Lavi, side pairings Kanda/Lenalee and Marie/Miranda  
**Genre**: Humour/Romance  
**Rating**: T  
**Summary**: On a warm, late July day, Lenalee receives some startling news about a certain redhead in the Order. In a fit of inspiration, she decides to carry out a Bachelor Auction in an attempt to match-make Allen Walker and Lavi – with dubious results and plenty of mixed feelings along the way.  
**Notes**: For the basic idea, credit goes to **Hidden Records** who suggested the bachelor auction! Written for the DGM Big Bang.

* * *

**Entry**** I**: The Twenty One Year Old Virgin

.

_It all started one fine day when Lenalee sat down beside me and started chatting about everything under the weather and we actually, so__mehow, got onto the topic of sex. Which in hindsight was a rather normal topic of conversation for teenagers our age…_

_._

Five years into the Black Order, reaching his twenty first birthday, and growing into a very fine, handsome, suave young man, if he might say so himself, Lavi came to the rather belated realization that he was still a virgin.

Lenalee nearly spat out her mouthful of tea. Heedful of the extremely unladylike action, she instead hastily swallowed and thumped her chest as the liquid went down the wrong pipe. Lavi looked at her in mild concern, carefully sipping his own cup of tea.

"You're," she gasped out, "you're a vir-"

"Shh, Lena!" Lavi shushed urgently, clapping a hand to her mouth. "It's not exactly something I want everyone to know."

Lenalee shook off his hand in annoyance then stared, disconcerting him.

She never – she thought – Lavi always talked of the ladies in the places he'd been to before he joined the Order, and even Kanda, ever stoic Kanda thought that he had…and, well, everyone knew the Vatican was probably made up of a bunch of secret hedonists, so Lavi surely couldn't have been following their commandments, and Brother always talked of hormones (attaching words like 'insidious' and 'dangerous' to them) and, and, and…

This was too mind-boggling.

And far too _hilarious_ not to take advantage of.

"What?" Lavi asked, somewhat defensive, having been scrutinized for the past couple of seconds. "It's not unusual, right? I mean, I can't imagine Komui letting anyone even near your room, let alone into your bed."

She blushed and jerked herself away from her thoughts. "Well, that's me, but we're talking about _you_ here, Lavi!"

"And what makes _me_ so different?" Lavi asked with a grin. Lenalee couldn't help but get the feeling that he was trying to make her squirm when he already knew the answer. His grin was far too…too…infuriating. She settled for a weak glare.

"You know what I mean. You, you flirt with anyone pretty, and the 'strike' thing when Bookman isn't looking and sometimes even when he is – stop laughing, Lavi!" She cried when Lavi smothered his chuckles with a hand. Lenalee glared, to no effect.

"And, well, you're a guy! Brother said guys have a greater…well," she huffed and looked away, cupping her hands around her mug. Lavi shook his head in amusement and looked at her, shoulders still shaking with laughter. "Well, you know, I'm just…" – she paused and searched for the right word. Amazed? Amused? Sympathetic? – "…surprised."

Lavi sighed, a rueful grin pulling at his lips, eye half-lidded in amusement. "Now you know. And I'll thank you to keep my reputation in tact."

Lenalee had to resist the urge to roll her eyes.

"...So what's the deal?" She asked after a while of Lavi not looking at her and drinking his cup of tea. She _was_ trying to go for nonchalance, but it was pretty obvious that she failed when Lavi looked at her with – again – that infuriating grin. "You're not interested, or you're waiting for the right person?"

Lavi blinked at her.

Paused.

And laughed.

He sounded nothing but tickled, his eye crinkled shut. But there was _something_ in it that made Lenalee pause and shelve it in a part of her mind to analyze later. She drummed her fingers on the table.

Lavi grinned at her again. "Are you suggesting that I'm being all romantic and waiting for a special someone, Lena?" He asked, looking at her still with that relaxed, lazy grin. But his eye was a little sharper this time, almost as if he were focusing on her, trying to root out something. Lenalee decided that it would break her mind trying to decipher everything about a Bookman's veiled looks and just shrugged, mentally noting the tone again.

"It seemed that way – "

It was her turn to pause as her brain whirred. Then, gasping loudly and making Lavi jump, she gripped his hand with sudden strength. Lavi winced.

"Are you saying you have a _crush_, Lavi?" Lenalee's face was lighted up with a sort of manic joy Lavi had never seen before.

"No-ope!" He tried to shake off her grip. She looked unconvinced. "There's you, and Komui will kill me if I try to make a move on you, kinda kills off any romance, eh? Miranda is totally besotted with Marie, and if you're talking 'bout Emilia – Timothy, brat though he is, is ultra possessive of her. Lena, uh, would you" – he shook his hand again – "kindly let go of me?"

Lenalee looked down and let go with an apologetic look. Lavi immediately cradled the red limb to his chest and pouted.

Undeterred, she plowed on. "What does that have to do with anything?"

Lavi stared. When Lenalee did nothing but stare back for the stretch of silence, he scratched at his cheek. "Uh, well, pretty much everyone has been kinda ruled out, right? Unless you're suggesting I go after General Nine, who…no. Just, no." He shuddered at the thought of Lau Jimin ripping him to pieces.

"Well…we do have plenty of female Finders, but I guess it's true we work mostly within our own circle, so if there's anyone you like it has to be one of us," Lenalee reasoned out. She rested her chin on her palm and thought for a while, completely ignoring the fact that Lavi had denied having a crush on anyone, and that he was currently sulking and trying to get her to drop it. "What about the guys?"

"Lenalee, I told you, I don't have a crush – " he said with utmost patience.

And then again, there was that something she couldn't decipher in his eye. Lenalee filed it in the 'Lavi' folder in her mind.

" – and guys? Sleeping with Kanda is equivalent to inviting him to slice you with _Mugen_, darling."

"Well…well…" Lenalee grasped at a namelist in her mind and paused, sitting up with a sudden epiphany of sorts. "What about Allen?"

"What about me?" A curious voice broke into their discussion. Both Lavi and Lenalee jumped.

Standing behind Lavi with a huge tray of food, Allen looked from one guilty face to the other before shrugging and sliding onto the bench next to Lavi, beginning to unpack his tower of food. At around eighteen he was eating more than ever, the parasitic Crowned Clown and his growing body demanding more food by the day, to the point where Lavi couldn't even bring himself to be awed or disgusted by the food anymore. Allen looked expectantly at them when he had settled down. "Well, what about me?"

Lenalee, unusually bold, said even with a blush still on her face. "We were just wondering–"

"Why you are still on probation to becoming a General," Lavi cut in, practiced nonchalance on his face.

Lenalee stared.

Allen stared.

Lavi shrugged. "You've been on probation for, what, forever?"

"…Huh." Allen's brow furrowed, he looked at him a moment too long before turning back to face his food, his face neutral again.

Lenalee frowned. Before she could even begin to wonder what had happened –

"Komui's been trying to convince them. I suppose Central doesn't want me out and free and actually doing something." Eyes fixed on his food, he twirled his fork and stabbed it into a chunk of steak, his other hand expertly handling the knife.

To the casual observer, there was nothing but neutrality in the boy's tone. Lavi pushed down the resentment that he felt every time Central was alluded to and cast a glance at the entrance to the cafeteria. Howard Link stood there, studying his book. It was perhaps already a concession that Link didn't intrude on their conversation, but it still grated on Lavi's nerves. And Allen's too, if the well-hidden bitterness in his words was anything to go by.

Plastering a cheerful smile on his face, Lavi turned to Allen as the boy started to eat his food, seeing Lenalee looking unhappy at Central's actions, feeling the air around the three of them suddenly tense, a sudden and complete contrast to when Lenalee was interrogating him over a crush she was certain he had.

Well, someone needed to break that. There wasn't much he could do, save a change of topic, so…

Leaning to the side and with a good aim Lavi poked Allen in his side. "You sure you won't grow fat, beansprout?"

_Lame, LAME _he told himself, but the response was still gratifying.

"_Mmrff_!" Allen swatted his hand away and swallowed a huge chunk of meat, glaring. "Don't poke me! And I don't see _you_ doing any exercise," he said, pretending to scrutinize Lavi's thighs. "Sure you don't need a new uniform any time soon?"

Lavi gasped, hands flying to his chest and gripping at the material there. "Oh, that cuts _deep_, Allen m'boy. Right here." He grasped at his heart and sniffled. "To insult the wonderful me. You are a cruel, cruel being. I demand compensation. Now."

"Aww," Allen – miracle of miracles – paused in eating and cooed, patting Lavi's cheek, his eyes dancing with amusement. "You poor, poor boy. You'll be wanting a kiss, then?"

Lavi's eye gleamed. He shifted closer, grin lazy and self-assured. "Why, yes, monsieur. Much delighted to."

"Well," Allen studied Lavi carefully then turned and smiled at Lenalee. "Lenalee's prettier. Thanks but no thanks," he said, smiling at Lavi's imitation of a drowning fish.

"Al-len, that's mean," Lavi whined. "Are you deriding this fine piece of art – Allen, don't you laugh!"

Allen deigned to answer, turning away and snorting instead, ignoring Lavi's persistent attempts to make him recognize the redhead's undeniable beauty.

Having already registered that she was being ignored since, oh, well, since Allen arrived, Lenalee instead smiled at the little spectacle, took in everything carefully and could actually feel her eye twitching. She was…feeling something at the edge that she couldn't grasp. She frowned and gripped her cup tighter, the ceramic threatening to crack.

It actually had been for a while where something was not quite settled in her family. It had always been a peaceful lull inside her, the puzzle pieces all in place and, well, if some of them fell away because of the war, she grasped at the holes and tried to patch them together, and usually the air was serene – like a winter day with nothing much really moving except for the calm snowflakes.

For a while now though, there had been a slight shift she couldn't quite grasp at and it was frankly frustrating her. Like a stupid crack that appeared in the lake in the middle of the snowy scene – undetectable and unthreatening, but still an irritating buzz at the side of her head. She took advantage of the boys' ignorance of her to see if she could fit the new knowledge of Lavi having a crush into this tension she'd been feeling recently. Since the boys were arguing about something inconsequential, it was quite safe to ignore them for now…

"_Beansprout! That's my tea you're drinking!" _

But there was just something, something about this that she should be taking note of…

"_Like you don't steal my food all the time.__ Lavi! My dango – "_

Brother had always said the science gene ran in the Lee family. Lenalee was doubtful of it, seeing as it was her brother who went on to become a scientist and not her, but now she was heartily wishing that she had that mystical gene. Lavi. A virgin.

Well, alright, perhaps that wasn't the biggest news, the biggest news was that he had a crush on somebody, somebody Lenalee should know about, even as she systematically struck off everyone from her list. He was denying it but she just _knew_.

There was the sound of plates toppling and panicked sounds.

She frowned and stared into the depths of her tea, the liquid gazing calmly and innocently back.

Lavi had always been a cheerful, older brother to her. Somewhat brittle when he first came in. Not weak, not really, just…brittle, his smile wide but always stretched. Yet somehow something seemed to have settled in him a while ago, and he was truly affectionate now, she could feel. God, the pieces were all jumbled inside her. A sunny winter day and a chilly dawn in a bamboo forest, a white, white, crumbling world and tears and broken windows…

Running through three years in one's head wasn't easy, but she felt she was getting onto something, ever since that horrid day years ago where they found a splatter of blood on leaf-strewn ground –

"_Oooh, Jeryy will kill you if you broke those plates, favourite or not, Allen. You owe me."_

"_Oh fine, fine. You're such a kid, Lavi." _

"_Love you too, sprout."_

With a gasp, Lenalee felt something in her parody of a wholesome jigsaw fall into place and the crack fully giving way. She slammed her cup on the table and instantly got their attention.

"Um…" It was then that she registered the sudden silence and the wide-eyed gaze of her two boys. Then she blushed as she realized she was standing, the bench having left scrape marks on the floor. She settled down slowly, the boys tilting their heads back down accordingly.

"Carry on?" She said, a sweet smile on her face.

There was a brief span of about two seconds where the boys just stared at her then went back to arguing about dessert. Bookman or not, Lenalee thought fondly, Lavi had just as short an attention span as Allen.

Except, maybe, when it came to Allen himself. Then Lavi seemed all rapt attention. Lenalee finally smiled widely.

It was this, ladies and gentlemen, that Lenalee had finally figured out, and she was sure she was right. Lavi had a crush – no, scratch that. Lavi was possibly very much in love and in denial over a certain Exorcist who had the appetite of a black hole.

She could almost smack Lavi with how obvious he was being (and herself with how blind she had been). Her exasperation mingled with a twinge in her heart as she finally managed to pick up a certain mixture of fondness, amusement and – was it longing? – in Lavi's eye. So, he was only more readable when he was with someone he liked, wasn't he? And he had tried to hide it so expertly from her.

It was all so obvious now, after she finally thought about it. All the warm teasing and the trust and them just finding time to spend with each other in silly roughhousing and Link sometimes shooting suspicious but discreet glances.

Lenalee settled back on her bench and turned her cup in her palms, mind turning, the Lee gene of analysis kicking in. So, she thought, if she wasn't wrong, Lavi was being an old-fashioned romantic and waiting for the someone special. And of course he would deny it, the closet romantic. If it were a lady, he wouldn't have hesitated. But if it was someone like Allen…

Lenalee bit her lip in sympathy. The boys were now arguing about something stupid, probably the latest provincial cricket match. She allowed herself to zone out again.

Allen was so…guarded, she thought, trying to find the right word for it. Or _stupid_, she amended. For trying to distance himself from everyone so that Central will not trouble them, or so that they will have less trouble killing him should the 14th revolt on them. Then it was no wonder Lavi would have a hard time confessing if he did like Allen, considering that the idiot boy would likely reject him to in some perverse way _protect_ him, even if he did like Lavi back.

Not to mention, of course, the fact that they were living in such a conservative age. She knew she had no problem with it, she doubted her brother would (or perhaps it would be more along the lines that there'd be two less men he had to be wary about), but there were the people all around the Order, the Vatican controlling their every move, the fact that, like it or not, people are _always_ concerned about their fellow beings' opinions of them no matter how much they try to deny being so. Lavi wasn't exactly the type to seek popularity and complete acceptance, she reckoned; but he would always be mindful of it given that he had his position as a Bookman's Apprentice to consider as well…

But all these were giving her a headache, and anticipating the problems wouldn't really solve it as of yet – Brother had always said to try to take things one step at a time to keep the situation simple. She shook her head.

Lenalee observed Allen again, trying to see if there was anything in him that indicated he had something of a crush on Lavi, what with the outright flirting that went on before her. She wasn't entirely sure, and maybe her view of him had been affected since she was very – almost, perhaps, probably – certain that Lavi likes Allen, but maybe, just maybe, she felt something like affection even in his teasing towards Lavi, and he never teased anyone like that. Really, offering to kiss him better, even as a joke? Maybe she was concentrating too much on Lavi, so she couldn't really read Allen as of yet, but maybe –

Lenalee pushed down a giggle, noting how Allen finally allowed Lavi to steal a cookie off his dessert platter.

Something about the way to a man's heart being through his stomach struck her, and Lenalee couldn't help but giggle out loud this time. Oh, they haven't had any excitement in a long while that didn't involve fighting the Earl and his forces. Lenalee felt herself getting more and more thrilled as her thoughts ran.

When she was young and would try to learn cooking Komui would lift her onto a low stool, saying in a low, warm voice, "_now, you have to be careful, patient, coax out the flavour with your little hands. With the hot water first, and __**no**__, I will do the pouring until you're older. You need to steep the leaves for the right time, and add just the right amount of sugar and milk. If you move too fast it'll all taste bad…so how long do you steep this for? That's right, each tea leaf is different from the next, you must be careful with each…_"

Both boys turned to look at her, seemingly only noticing her presence just now. She smiled.

Lavi stopped munching on his cookie. He inched a little closer to Allen. "Le, Lena, you're kinda…"

Allen nodded, wary. "Are you alright, Lenalee?"

Lenalee smiled wider. "Oh, just fine, boys. Just fine."

She was feeling very, very fine indeed. Sipping her now-cold tea, she ignored the bewildered, almost scared looks shared between the boys.


	2. On A Collision Course

**Entry**** II**: On A Collision Course

.

_...Allen pleaded innocent, of course. But then Lenalee defended herself, and that was when I knew that little sneak had been in on it __**all along**__…_

_._

"A…party?"

Contrary to popular opinion, Lenalee wasn't just sweet and pretty and meek – her brother was wrapped around her finger, and she _knew_ it. Not only that, she knew _how_ to use it. She continued smiling sweetly at Komui and Reever. Reever, of course, had to be pulled in because left to Komui, they would probably have only a few more Komurin blueprints on their hands that somehow conspired to force Allen and Lavi together, and that would land them both in the Medical Wing at the end. Not very romantic, really. Lenalee mentally noted to later burn the one blueprint she had confiscated.

Reever, receiving no response to his previous query, cleared his throat and started again. "Just to get this clear, you're suggesting a…_special_…party?"

Lenalee giggled, a demure, perfect little one, hiding her grin behind a small hand. Komui sighed at how beautiful, perfect, lovely, _pure_ his Lenalee was.

"Well, things have been…bad, lately," she said, and the room fell a little sober at her words.

The Exorcists were alive, and that was the only good thing – more and more Finders were dying everyday and the Earl was going strong, gathering more – and stronger – Akuma by the minute. Exhaustion practically permeated the Order. The war had gone on for nearly a decade already, and still nobody seemed closer to finding the heart of the Innocence, be it the Order or the Earl.

Shaking her head firmly to get rid of the mood, Lenalee started again with a bright smile. "Wouldn't it be nice to have a party, let everyone relax a little? We don't have to wait till Christmas to find a reason to celebrate, right?"

"Well, uh…" Reever looked at Komui for assistance. Komui looked at his sister with his yes-dear-anything-dear look, which pretty much meant he was useless. Reever sighed. "I suppose it is possible. The problem is Central though…"

Lenalee resisted the urge to curse, mild as her curse was. It wouldn't work if she did that, Komui would threaten to kill whoever taught her those words. Instead, smiling calmly, she nodded. "Yes, it might be a problem, but I think we can keep it quiet from them. Link is a little less…uptight, these days. I'm sure we can persuade him. He even seems a little less suspicious of Allen."

"Alright, but you said something about a special, uh, addition?"

Lenalee's smile widened and not being siblings for nothing, Komui straightened up, paying closer attention. Lenalee leaned closer to them, as though she was sharing a delicious secret. Obligingly, Komui leant forward. Reever joined in to complete the crude circle of insanity.

"Have you ever heard of bachelor auctioning?"

.

Allen massaged his left shoulder, an almost unnoticeable falter in his steps and grimace on his face. Link's sharp eyes didn't fail him this time either.

"Walker. Do you feel pain?" His face was composed, neutral, as though it was merely another matter for him to record down. Allen smiled at him, face a little strained.

"Crowned Clown stings a little," he muttered, rubbing his left elbow. "I don't know what's up with it."

Link frowned. If anything were to happen to Walker's Innocence, it would severely jeopardize their chances in the war, the presence of the Noah in him notwithstanding. In addition Walker had been reporting pain since a few missions ago, though nothing that had inhibited his ability to fight – he wondered what it was, and he had to confess his dearth of knowledge when it regarded the Innocence material – it was quite a difficult field, even Central kept these information classified. Perhaps it was time for Walker to visit Hevlaska.

Just as he was about to suggest this, however, Allen stopped walking. Link looked up to see what the matter was.

Komui was humming and walking toward them. With a look of complete nonchalance on his face. In the middle of a suspiciously _empty_ corridor. As if to add to the tingly feeling on the back of Link's neck, Komui's spectacles were _glinting_ in the afternoon light. Allen only stayed still for a second longer before he blanched, turned tail, and ran.

Link agreed with this plan of action.

"Allen! Allen, why are you running from me!" Komui gave chase, surprisingly fast for a scientist that was always cooped up in the lab.

"Sorry!" Allen shouted. "I've got something to do with" – he searched for a vaguely plausible name – "Lavi! Training and all that!"

"You're lying! Lavi's in the library with Bookman!" An ominous clanking sound started behind them, gaining ground on them rapidly. Link cursed in Dutch and pulled Allen around a corner. Allen didn't even dare to look back.

"Fine, I'm lying!" He ran down the corridor and spied a window that would allow him to jump safely to ground floor. He nodded at it. Link headed in the same direction. "Go back to your work, Komui!" He shouted a little frantically now, the clanking sounds uncomfortably close.

Link jumped out the window first, landing safely on the grass below, quickly turning around to wait for Walker. Allen was reaching, just five meters, a meter more –

Allen choked as a metallic something clamped down on the back of his shirt, pulling him up by the neck. He scrabbled for purchase and pulled at the cloth restricting his breathing. Gasping, he looked up and did his best to glare.

A pair of gleaming spectacles smirked down on him. "Meet Komurin-mini! Unfortunately he can only be used as a transport vehicle, but that works well enough, eh?" Komui said, sounding positively, _awfully_ cheerful. Allen scowled at the metallic smile of the robot and the man perched comfortably on top of it. "Well, Allen, we have a little something to discuss!"

"I doubt it's anything good…" The caught boy muttered.

"Hmm?" Komui hummed, a dangerous edge to his voice. Allen stilled as Komui swung around to face him again even as the robot marched its way back to his office, disregarding all the walls it knocked a chunk off of and the people that scrambled out of its path. "Are you insinuating that anything my Lenalee comes up with could possibly not be good, hmm, _Al-len_?"

Allen smiled, sickly sweet. "Not at all, supervisor. And by the way, I would love it if I could be allowed to breathe."

"Oh, by all means, no one's stopping you!"

"Of course," Allen gritted his teeth, tilting his head back and pulling at the cloth a little harder. "Mind giving me a hand, Link?" Link had, at some point in the past minute, flipped himself back in through the window and caught up with them. Allen allowed himself a moment to be impressed.

His own supervisor looked up and shrugged. "We're reaching his office," he offered by way of consolation. "And the scientists are waiting."

"They are _not_ going to destroy my baby!" Komui said firmly, jabbing at a few more buttons that seemed to somehow tighten the clamp on Allen's shirt. Allen coughed.

"Oh, right, sorry," Komui said, not sounding sorry at all. The clamp loosened and Allen felt himself being lowered to the ground. He motioned urgently to Link for them to run as soon as he touched ground.

"_Oh no you won't_."

Without Allen even noticing it, Komui had jumped to the ground and was grabbing his left arm (and the poor boy just somehow _knew_ there was a drill hidden somewhere) even as he pressed a button on Komurin-mini, the robot folding in on itself and assembling into a box. Komui picked it up and pulled Allen into his office, Link following with a resigned air. The obviously unhinged Supervisor started chattering even as Allen noted the people in his office, a smiling Lenalee along with a somewhat amused and concerned Reever. There was something up, something rather…fishy.

"You see, Allen, there's this little party my dear Lenalee proposed…"

.

By the end of the run-through, Allen was still, staring into space. Link's hands twitched, looking like he desperately wanted to whip out his notebook and start a report on the latest insane acts of the Order. Komurin-mini's hold on his arm made him snarl.

"Allen?" Lenalee asked in concern, waving a hand in front of him. Allen slowly moved his head to face in her general direction. Then he blinked.

"You're asking me to be a _prize_?" He looked supremely unimpressed.

"No!" Lenalee looked offended. "What do you think we are? We're asking you to be the bait."

"How is _that_ any better? And for what purpose?"

"Well…" Lenalee looked from Komui, to Reever, to Link, and hesitated. Komui and Reever would likely be okay with it, the problem was Link. She'd have to persuade him not to spill anything to Central. And knowing Allen…it was probably far better to cut to the chase to persuade him to join in.

"There's someone who you…like, right?"

Allen stiffened. Three heads whipped around to stare at him.

"Are you, are you saying…" Komui took a deep breath. "_You're after my Lenalee, aren't you_!"

"No, brother!" Lenalee nearly shouted. Calming down, she said, "it's someone else, alright?"

"Lenalee," Allen said, very evenly. She winced. "Pardon me for saying this, but I'm rather sure that this is not anybody's business but my own."

"I know, I know that," she hastened to say, trying not to wring her hands. "I just…I think that that person likes you too."

It was as nerve-wracking as watching a sleep-deprived Johnny handling two test-tubes of unknown substances. Komui, Reever and Link whipped their heads from looking at Allen, to Lenalee, and back again. There's a someone Allen likes. There's a someone who likes Allen. Link rued the fact that a certain Miss Lee knew it before him and damn it, he hadn't narrowed it down to one specific person. The Emilia lady? That insufferable Kanda Yuu? That insufferable Bookman Apprentice?

"And what, may I ask, makes you think so?" Allen asked, still painfully polite, eyes hard.

Lenalee bit her lip. It was suddenly so hard to speak, she wasn't even that certain anymore. Was Allen so…unhappy? Maybe she read it all wrong?

But she had gone too far not to continue this.

"I…I've been watching you two, and I talked to that person a while ago, so I know they like someone and…I can't say it here, but I'm sure it's you. And if you're the big item, they would spend all their cash on you so nobody else can get you for the night, I'd think, and, uh…"

Being scientists and a specially trained crow, they could hardly fail to notice the careful avoidance of a gender-specific pronoun. Allen frowned, seeming to consider it again.

"Please tell me, Lenalee," he said, voice lighter and more thoughtful. "When did you start thinking so?"

"Uh…" Feeling all eyes on her, Lenalee remembered to keep it as ambiguous as possible. "A few days ago, we were having lunch, and…" She tried to remember something special that Allen would know but that would not be so obvious to the other three. "You nearly broke the plates, um…"

Komui and Reever blinked. Link thought Walker nearly broke plates _everyday_ anyway, so that wasn't much help.

But Allen suddenly lit up and leaned back on the couch, eyes happy, almost mischievous. "Ah, alright. I see. Thanks, Lenalee! So, how would this all work again?"

Feeling Allen focus his attention on him, Komui snapped out of his daze. "Uh, uh…well, we just need you to be our last prize up for 'auction' and this will…okay, no, wait, I need to know. Who is he?"

"Who is who, Komui?" Allen asked innocently.

"The person you like and who likes you!" Komui exclaimed, waving his arms around in agitation. Lenalee shook her head fondly at her brother's antics and insatiable curiosity.

"Oh, that," Allen pretended to think about it for a while. "Who said it was a 'he'?"

"I'm not stupid, Allen Walker," Komui said with a grin, wagging a finger. "You think I didn't see how hard you two were trying to avoid mentioning the gender, hmm, hmmm?"

Link looked utterly horrified. "Walker, I must insist this desist at once. It is entirely against the Vatican laws – "

"Link," Allen cut in, looking tired and almost like he had expected Link to object. "I know, alright? But this has nothing to do with whether I'm going to turn around and betray the Order, so if you can please keep this quiet?"

Link spluttered. "Even if that might be the case, this is certainly going against all protocol, Walker. For your sake, I insist that this stop now."

"Link."

Allen was suddenly stiff, his shoulders tensed, looking at Link with hard eyes. Lenalee was wide-eyed. The temperature around them felt like it had dropped a few notches.

"Link. I will die for the Order." There were several flinches in the office. Komui clenched his fist. Allen continued, not batting an eyelash. "I will die for this war. I will even die for the Vatican, if they prove that I'm betraying the Order. I will not do anything to jeopardize this war and our standing in it.

"But," his voice hardened, an edge in it, "I will _not_ let the Vatican convict me for something as inconsequential as my sexuality, if that is alright with you?"

Link was silent. Allen sighed at the look of anxiety still present on his face.

"We're all giving up many things for this war. Let me be selfish and hold onto this." He closed his eyes and sagged back into the couch. There was a pause, then, very quietly, "it will not hurt anyone but myself."

There was an uncomfortable silence for a while, the office still, even the silly little Komurin-mini. Link was still looking straight at Allen, a deep frown on his face – but it seemed like he could not and was not willing to fight against such a conviction Allen had. Lenalee's eyes clouded over as she was forced to remember the toll the war took on everyone, not least the boy prophesized to end it.

Komui cleared his throat, loud in the stillness. "Well, now that we've established that!" He said, very bright.

Lenalee sighed even as Allen's shoulders relaxed and he leaned back further into the couch. "Brother…"

"Aww, come on, you're all my precious Exorcists! I wanna know! It's Kanda, isn't it?"

"No!" Allen and Lenalee protested at the exact same moment, then turned to stare at one another. Lenalee looked away.

Allen's eyes widened.

Komui furrowed his brow. Then he jerked his head up, spectacles glinting madly. "I know! It's – "

"Lavi, isn't it?" Reever said, sighing and noting something on his clipboard. Komui's frame visibly drooped.

"You could've let me say it!" He whined. Reever glared at him.

"After all the hints they dropped it's rather obvious, Chief. Now, if you'd please finish briefing Allen?"

"Aww…" Komui rubbed at the back of his neck then looked up, eyes serious. Allen blinked and straightened up. "Allen. I want to make sure you're alright with this. If Lavi doesn't 'win' you then, well…you'll probably have to spend the day in somebody else's company, is that alright? We'll emphasize that you call the shots as well, but…"

Allen smiled gently. "Don't worry, Komui. I'll be fine. This'll be fun anyway, wouldn't it?"

Komui chuckled a little and nodded.

"Alright, so, we'll begin the party at six…"


	3. Cracked Cherry

**Entry**** III**: Cracked Cherry

.

…_which real__ly explained a lot of the things that happened before the auction. The flirting, the oh-my-god-what-am-I-doing conversations – and Allen finally confessed that he had been having problems with his Innocence all along and __**didn't tell me**__…_

.

There was something decidedly wrong when even Lavi, blunt and in denial as he was, picked up on the fact that Allen was, in recent days, flirting.

Hard.

_With him_.

It was, oh, simple things, really –

Okay, so it was nerve-wracking as all hell.

Allen kept _touching_ him, these days. Lavi would be the first to admit that he was usually the one who threw his arm around the beansprout's shoulders, or the one who started their roughhousing and who was responsible for them being reprimanded by Link like they were two overgrown kids. The point was, Allen never really rejected his physical affection – save when he started being obnoxious, not that he ever was, thank you very much – but the boy was never the one to initiate it.

Now though, it was an entirely different situation.

Whenever Allen passed him a tea cup, his fingers would linger just a little too long on the cup before withdrawing, ungloved right hand always brushing against the tips of Lavi's fingers and leaving them uncomfortably warm.

If they were reading in the library with Link writing his reports and keeping an eye on them, Allen would lean just slightly on him, enough for Lavi to feel the warmth of his shoulder on him before Link would cough and Allen would lean away, looking like he was wholly absorbed in his novella.

The times when they could get the training grounds to themselves, Allen would make _fierce_ eye contact with him. Yeah, yeah, it could be the intensity of battle and all, but a strange little smile would play upon Allen's lips and Timcanpy, settled on Link's head, seemed to pay especial attention to their training these days.

And dear lord, after training, Allen would be flushed and sweaty and seriously, they both would stink, but Allen's eyes would be bright on his flushed cheeks and he would grin at Lavi in a way he had never done before.

There were a hundred other little things. Allen's laughter, his smile, the attention he paid to what Lavi was talking about, the way that – without even discussing it beforehand these days – they would meet up for mealtimes and make sure to sit together…

He gulped and wondered if his secret could possibly have been found out. Allen wouldn't have known, would he? He was sure he hid it well, he wasn't a Bookman's Apprentice for nothing after all. And, well, if Allen hadn't known before this, there was no way he could suddenly, for some reason, know it now. He hadn't done anything special these few days…had he? He racked his memories and was sure he did nothing out of the ordinary.

At the moment though, Link was nowhere to be seen. For once Lavi wanted the man to be present if only to make them both more self-conscious. He forced himself to face Allen who had somehow managed to corner him for a chat in the middle of a corridor.

Well, to be fair, maybe it was only Lavi over-reading things. After all, it was entirely conceivable that Allen was being a little more friendly than usual these days. He talked a little more with Jeryy, complimenting him on his cooking; he even suffered through Johnny's enthusiasm on the makings of his new uniform with wonderful grace and an eternal smile; and with several of the female Finders he had gotten to know better through his missions, he had talked to them more and was doing almost the same thing with Lavi – touching them on the shoulder or arm. Respectfully, of course, and always with a sweet smile that managed to make them blush a little.

And Lavi only knew all these because – well, yeah, because he was a Bookman's Apprentice, that's why. He _had_ to notice these things that happened around him. He swallowed any bitter feelings he might have had and concentrated on the present.

To anyone else Allen was just leaning against the wall having a nice chat with a friend. One shoulder against the wall, head tilted very slightly at an angle, revealing just a little of his neck, eyes focused and smiling at Lavi's own, and his smile, oh god, his smile. Surely it was just a normal smile, but there was a little something in the tilt of his lips that made it almost a smirk that was just…not ordinary.

Lavi tugged at his collar. Allen's eyes flickered to it and he smiled a little wider, but he took care to make no note of it to Lavi, not even asking him if he was feeling too warm. No, that would scare him away too quickly. Lavi was already visibly jittery and Allen had to struggle to not let his smile widen too much.

He was starting to really enjoy the perks of his job. For the redhead's sake, he made sure the conversation was natural enough.

"So you've seen the notice for the party?"

"Yeah," Lavi said quickly, latching onto the safe topic. "Weird, huh, holding it at this time?"

"Oh, I don't know." Allen shrugged, the action drawing attention to how, well, _nice_ he looked that day in casual clothes instead of his usual heavy Exorcist coat that he was fond of wearing. "It's the summer and close to your birthday. That's something, isn't it?"

Lavi, startled, widened his eye then lowered his head, scratching at the back of it.

There was a pause during which Allen straightened up a little, sensing that he had stepped onto something without even really realizing it.

Lavi's thoughts switched rapidly from Allen to his birthday. Twenty one years, fifteen years since becoming an Apprentice, five years since joining the Black Order, three years since he found himself swaying from what he was so sure was his life's goal, and just a few days to another day when he had to wonder, amidst all the good wishes, what the hell he was actually doing with his life and to face the impressive neutral face of Bookman's. The old man who would only see the addition of years as a step closer to Lavi taking the helm. For some strange perverse reason a birthday (just another day in the year, really) seemed to bring these unbidden thoughts to his mind.

And he knew that more than a bit of his worries had to do with the boy standing in front of him, looking at him with careful concern. Lavi smiled, cold and faint. He looked out at the sunny, clear day.

"Yeah, I guess."

Playful countenance shifting completely into concern, Allen's hand reached out to grasp Lavi's shoulder. Lavi jumped and looked back at him, smiling again, able to fool anyone but the two of them. Allen frowned.

"Don't smile if you don't want to," he managed to say quietly, mentally kicking himself for having touched a sensitive topic without even realizing it. _How stupid_, he cursed himself.

Oh, but also, how very, very rich. Lavi wanted to laugh. "I could say the same to you, sprout," he said softly, his smile stretched and his eye unreadable.

Allen stiffened and dropped his gaze.

What a failure this was – it could have brought days of hard work crashing down just because Allen was stupid enough to talk about Lavi's birthday, when it was already obvious that he didn't have too fond memories of his birthday, even in the past years when they had all celebrated it with him. How did he forget the too-wide grin, the almost forced laughter?

Allen's lips twisted and he let his hair fall over his eyes, covering it. His grip tightened for a moment before he shifted, still not looking at Lavi, about to bring his hand down.

Lavi had regretted the words the minute he said them. Almost panicked, he reached a hand up to grab Allen's, bringing it down to hang between them, a loosely curved bridge.

It was an empty corridor and the bright light shining in, casting long shadows of their figures on the stone floor. Lavi, assured that Allen was not about to run away any time soon, looked back out at one of the warm days that England would get. He was staring into a sunny winter day, three years ago, whether Allen had known from then the degree of authenticity in his smiles, when it had started to change.

There was a pause, an intangible shift in mood, and Allen started to pull away. Lavi loosened his hold to let him when, in a turn of events, Allen tightened his grip on Lavi's hand, lifting his head to make eye contact again. There was a time for talking and Allen promised him, silently, _later_. Later which was not in a corridor where anyone could walk in on them and – oh, right, _now_ Lavi got it – where Link was standing just at the curve, waiting with rare good-will for his charge to finish.

So much for a good, light-hearted session. Where he ruined his chance at flirting with Allen, in favour of his good ol' angsty reminiscence. Lavi wanted to kick himself.

"You always were good at remembering things, weren't you?"

Lavi blinked at the change of topic. He nodded, wondering what it had to do with everything else.

Allen smiled, a soft, almost gentle smile. There was something dark on its edges that Lavi couldn't identify.

"Use it well at the party."

Letting go of his hand, Allen brushed past Lavi and headed down the corridor, leaving the man confused, shaken from the rapidity of the changes in mood in their short encounter, and not a little curious about what the party would hold, seemingly more than a simple stress reliever.

When he finally decided to leave a few minutes later, he shook his head and stared back at the barely visible clouds in the sky, sure that somehow, somewhere, God was laughing at him for his stupidity.

.

"113…119…127. Your synchronization rate lies at 127%," Hevlaska said in her usual wispy voice. There was a barely discernable frown pulling at her lips as she put Allen down onto the platform. At the side, Link scribbled down the information on his notebook.

Allen attempted to smile up at her. "Thank you, Hevlaska," he said sincerely.

"It is not a problem, Allen," her tendrils retracted, coming back to rest around her huge body.

Usually, at this point, Allen would have left, Link following him and thus leaving Hevlaska to her thoughts and her worries about her fellow Exorcists, not the least of them the boy currently standing in front of her. However, this time Allen wasn't moving from where she had put him down.

"There is something troubling you, young Allen," she said softly, leaning forward a little against the barrier. Allen, having been lost in thought for a while, jerked his head back up.

"What do you mean, Hevlaska?" He said, with worry tinting his every word.

Ah, so he had indeed been anxious, as she had been, over his Innocence. "Your synchronization rate has been fluctuating…it is very normal for Exorcists to have changing rates, but yours have dropped and increased at random…"

Allen looked down, gripping the railing tightly.

Link looked at his notes where it was stated, in dark ink, the truth of what Hevlaska had just said. Just last week when Walker's arm had been hurting his synchronization rate was 112%, and now just a week later it had jumped up again. And yet, a month ago when Walker had been barely able to move his arm for the pain (thankfully not when he was carrying out a mission), his synchronization rate had been 139%.

There was no clearly observable pattern to this. Link looked back up to continue observing the conversation.

Allen was still keeping silent. Hevlaska raised a tendril and placed it on the top of his head, meant to soothe. But Allen was taking no visible comfort from this.

"Have the Generals before this ever experienced…this?" Allen finally said in a very small voice.

Hevlaska kept her stroking motion, keeping it long and slow even as she thought. When she shook her great head, Allen's face fell.

"The Generals have either had steadily increasing rates…or they have stayed at a constant percentage for a long time," she said truthfully, even as the sentence seemed to make Allen crumble a little further.

Hevlaska knew that when it came to a Parasitic Innocence, almost everything was left up to chance and observation, given their rarity. The Generals with Equipment Innocence had no major problems, and Lau Jimin was easily controlled by General Nine's steady will and her experience. Walker was the first to have such a problem.

Perhaps it was a problem of will? It was not impossible, given the unearthly connection Exorcists had with their Innocence – Lenalee's crystallization was such a case of her will to protect and fight.

But if that were the case, then the boy most fiercely dedicated to fighting the Earl should be, by all rights, increasing his synchronization rate by leaps and bounds.

Link almost felt guilty, but he had to ask the question. "Hevlaska. Will this pose any problem for the war?"

Allen stiffened, tightening his grip.

Hevlaska smiled. At least this question she could answer with some small measure of comfort.

"Allen Walker has already achieved the synchronization needed for a General-level Exorcist…and once that is reached, it is nearly impossible for him to fall below the 100% rate." It went unsaid – unless, of course, he became a Fallen. Which Link doubted – Walker was far too dedicated for that.

"Remember, Allen Walker," she placed a tendril against his cheek and encouraged him to lift his face, "you are a very special Exorcist, you keep fighting and fighting without fail – you are indeed God's favoured child. I do not think this will be any obstacle to your goals."

Allen's smile was watery, but it was there. Link nearly breathed a sigh of relief – if he were required to report this, at the very least he could speak of Hevlaska's confidence in Walker's abilities. Lveille was concentrating furiously on the Third Exorcist project and their plans to invade the Earl's stronghold, but if he were to suddenly renew and focus his attention on Walker…this should at least protect Walker from an immediate heresy judgment.

In silence, Allen leaned against the barrier, lost in his thoughts.

.

His good friend, the guardian of the Black Order Asian Branch, had once spoken to him at length about this.

It was nearly a laughable event. He could still remember Lou Fa's embarrassment when she happened upon them, and then they were tossed into a battle for their lives, but even with the excitement and his growth since then he could still recall very clearly her words.

He tossed an arm over his eyes and concentrated on the sounds he could hear around him. Link was writing out a report at the table in their room, and Timcanpy was sitting on the pillow, chewing on his hair languidly, about to fall asleep. The light blanket was tucked loosely around him. Through the window, the night breeze, heavy with the scent of summer and sweat, ruffled his hair. In this peace he closed his eyes and blocked out the soft candlelight.

"_So what do __**you**__ want to do?_"

It wasn't too difficult, even now. Of course his larger goal was on the war, and he would never stop fighting for it. He still wanted to protect both humanity and the Akuma. Crowned Clown hummed, and he relaxed further into the bed.

"_You now have comrades, then the Noahs appeared – they've killed so many people in their search for the Heart. You saw a Fallen, and you lost your arm…_"

So many things had happened then, it was no wonder he was confused and lost in his battle against the Earl.

But it was all settled now, wasn't it? Shouldn't Crowned Clown be at peace with his resolution, the fact that he, Allen Walker, was fighting for the world like some martyr Master had predicted he would be?

"_Do you want to protect your comrades? Do you feel like you must defeat the Noahs, at all costs? Are you mourning over the lives you couldn't save and keep telling yourself, 'this is why I must fight'? The thing that has always propelled you – it is this kind heart of yours, isn't it?_"

No, he thought, gritting his teeth. He was not kind at all. He was a selfish person, holding onto his memories of Mana, fighting to salvage his soul. But now he was selfish too, getting caught up in the little game he and Lenalee were weaving, such that he had nearly forgotten what he was fighting for, that he was even _fighting_ in the first place.

The week had been such a welcomed break, was Crowned Clown punishing him for that? For forgetting Mana and the Earl and the Akuma?

Crowned Clown wasn't telling him an answer, it merely continued gently pulsing.

"_Now, your generous heart is telling you that you must fight, but has that caused your deeper feelings to be buried?_"

Lenalee had leaned toward him, giggling after the briefing, saying in a sing-song manner, "you are in love, Allen?"

He had laughed and brushed off that comment. Of course he was not in love. He likes Lavi. He was willing to admit so. He even loves him as comrades love each other, as friends do, as siblings do. He knows it's not a deep, soul-abiding love.

_Not yet_, his mind helpfully added, and Allen wanted to shut that little voice up.

But that didn't mean anything. Just because he likes Lavi didn't mean he wanted to fight any less. Like he would for any of his comrades, he would protect Lavi with his life and he wouldn't regret it. If every so often he had wished that he was a normal teenager, allowed to live his life in peace –

Those moments were brushed off and forgotten, stored only as a wistful dream.

"_We do not fight because of war. And we do not live because of war._"

He was nearly doing that, he realized, eyes fluttering open against his arm. He knew he'd be useless, crippled after the war, if he survived to see the end of the war. He'd live his everyday life in fear of the next Akuma attack, flinching from passers-by brushing him. He wanted the war to end, how could he not? But when it was war, everything was so simple – he didn't really have a future after, a concrete vision he could fight for.

When the 14th invaded his mind and memories he was fighting to make sure he was himself, and in the process he had lost the certainty of Mana's love for him. He knew he still loves Mana and his comrades and the Akuma he fights for, but he was starting to lose sight of everything, once more. Was that why Crowned Clown was hurting?

"_We fight because we have something important to fight for._"

He clenched his eyes shut. He knew he was not in love – he knew it could very well end badly, perhaps it'd have been better if he never started it in the first place. If they ever started seeing each other more intimately than what they have been doing, when everything is said and done with Lavi would leave as a Bookman, and Allen would be left to pick up a normal life after the battle-weary years in which, at the very least, he had lived with a focused if vague target of peace.

That might be why. A deep weariness settled over him.

Hevlaska said his troubled mind might have reflected in his wildly fluctuating synchronization. Master Cross had never had a problem, because bastard as he was, he had a single, focused goal in mind. What that was he would never know, but he was sure that was why Hevlaska said the other Generals did not have any such problem.

And if that was the case, then – he clenched his fist – dropping the game and wishing it had never started in the first place would not help. Trying to drop his fondness of Lavi wouldn't either – he knew it would rebound, badly. Then the only thing he could do was to go on with this plan, and see what happened from there.

He was exhausted. He didn't want to think any more. As he relaxed his body and allowed the tire of the day to catch up with him, Crowned Clown hummed, lulling the boy to sleep.


	4. A Barnum and Bailey World

**Entry**** IV**: A Barnum and Bailey World

.

…_anyway, all of these were in hindsight, and I'll deal with Allen on these little trust issues later on. _

_The party did finally go unde__rway on a sweltering August day and, oh boy, was it exciting…_

.

The day of the party dawned bright and cheery, and toward the early evening when people started gathering for the party the weather was truly nothing but congenial, seeming to promise a fine day free of trouble.

At the entrance to the hall, Miranda stared from the pile of chips in her hand, to the party and the people milling inside the hall, and back to her palm again. The chips looked back at her, gleaming innocently. Johnny smiled.

"You've got twenty over there, Miranda?"

"Ah, yes," she said, weakly, "but, um, I don't know what it's for, what if I lose it?" This was the first time she was participating in a "real" party, after Allen assured her that the last party the Black Order held was not at all a real party and that she was a victim then.

"Oh, don't worry about that! It'd be good to keep it, but it's more for the final show. At least, that's what Lenalee said…ah, well, anyway, nothing will happen if you lose it, but just try to keep it in your pocket for the time being, alright?" Johnny said, visibly excited. A little bewildered, Miranda nodded and slipped the chips into the pocket of her pants, stepping gingerly into the hall.

Even after a few years in the Order, she could never really get used to how…_loud_ the people at the Black Order could be. Looking around, she sighed in relief when she spotted Allen speaking to a couple of female Finders. Was it just her, or were the girls blushing? Perhaps it was the heat of summer and the number of people gathered there…

Making her way over and standing unobtrusively in the background, she observed as Allen laughed and waved goodbye to them, then turning and, as if by chance, spotting her. Allen beamed and headed in her direction.

"Good, good evening, Allen," Miranda said shyly. Allen grinned.

"Good evening to you too, Miranda! How have you been?"

"I've been well, thank you," she said with relief as Allen fell into a talk routine she was familiar with. Allen hummed and observed her carefully for a while, his smile turning gentle when she looked back at him.

"You haven't really gotten a chance to talk to Marie recently, yes?" Miranda blushed. "He's been on missions lately…well, we've all been. He's over there, why don't you go talk to him?"

"B-but, he'll, he'll want to rest, right?" Miranda stuttered. She actually really, really wanted to, but she wasn't quite sure how Marie would feel, and all. Allen shook his head, confident.

"He'll be happy to see you. He's already looking our way."

Hearing her voice, Marie had indeed turned over and was smiling in their direction. Pushing her in Marie's direction, Allen gave her an encouraging smile. Surprised, then bowing rapidly in thanks, Miranda made her way over to Marie.

"Oh, Emilia, hello!"

And if Allen's greeting to the other people was slightly more…playful than usual, Miranda only took note of it in the back of her mind.

.

Smiling, Lenalee tucked her hair behind her ear, carefully noting Kanda's reaction. She nearly pouted when the man remained as stoic as always.

Well, perhaps less so these days, she thought. He and Allen still had an uncomfortable rivalry between them, but at least Kanda was less tense nowadays, probably having resigned himself to the fact that he'd have to work with them on a long-term basis. Undeterred, she continued talking to the man. As long as Komui didn't come barging in she was happy.

Speaking of which...

She scanned the stage area where an innocent table was set up. There was nothing on it yet – she hoped Komui lived up to his promise to provide auction items to lead up to the big item. And by god, she hoped Lavi was bright enough to pick up on what was going to happen. That hopeless boy – brilliant on all things to do with Bookmen information and human expressions, and alarmingly dense with actual human emotions at other times. Lenalee sighed.

Kanda noticed her attention on the table and looked at it, his eyes narrowing slightly.

"What's that for?" He asked in his usual brisk manner. Lenalee looked up at him and smiled again.

"Something that brother is planning for – later," she said, purposefully vague. Kanda snorted.

"That idiot better not be thinking of something stupid again."

Lenalee winced at the not too subtle reference to the last time the Order had a party. It was spectacular. Spectacularly _terrible_. Lenalee couldn't believe she didn't see through the various torture stages Komui put their people through just to find out, in an oblique way, who she liked. Understandably, many people at the party were looking around warily now, expecting something to happen, some even digging the chips out of their pockets and holding them as if they were a bomb. Coming from the scientists, it was unfortunately highly probable.

"I know what he's planning on doing. Trust me, it'll be fun this time, so please stay?"

Lenalee had somehow caught onto the fact that Kanda was contemplating leaving the party early, attempts at building camaraderie be damned. He was about to refuse when he made the mistake of looking at her properly.

He blanched at the visible pout and the wide, imploring eyes. Lenalee's hair was exceptionally pretty that day too, having grown out to the length prior to the disastrous trip to Edo. Kanda scowled and leaned back against the wall again.

Lenalee inwardly smiled in victory.

.

When Lavi entered the hall, he found himself, on instinct, looking for a certain white-haired Exorcist.

It'd be fun to tease Marie and Miranda, he mused, seeing them talking and all smiley at each other. Or Yuu, standing in one of the corners being all stoic while Lenalee talked to him. Or even joining Gramps and Krory at the tea table. Of course, he would have done any of those things, but first, finding Allen.

When he did spot him, it was only to see –

_Allen flirting with Emilia_?

Lavi gaped, stunned.

No, it wasn't open flirting…just chatting, maybe, and a shared joke or two. Well, it wasn't like he kept tabs on his friend or anything of the sort, but he didn't know Allen would be even interested in Emilia and, and…

He might have been jealous, or simply curious, so he went straight ahead and wrapped his arm around Allen's shoulders, smiling at both of them.

"'Sup, Emilia, Al-len!"

Emilia laughed. "Hello, Lavi."

"Don't you forget me!" Timothy huffed, kicking at Lavi's shin with his ever-present roller blades. Lavi winced and hid behind Allen.

"Yeah, hello, pipsqueak."

"I suppose I'm glad that at least you don't call me that," Allen added dryly.

"Hey! Who you calling short!" Timothy said loudly.

"No one did that," Lavi grinned, "you assumed that all on your own."

"Oh, Timothy, do be a little more sensible," Emilia scolded. Then she looked up and frowned, though her eyes were twinkling. "You too, Lavi – honestly, sometimes I wonder who the child is."

"I share your sentiments," Allen said, a look of utmost sympathy on his face.

"Oi, oi, Allen!" Lavi whined, tightening his hold significantly. Allen choked and glared as best as he could out of the corner of his eye. "Whose side ya on?"

Emilia stifled a chuckle as Allen started his retaliation, subtly pinching Lavi on his side and making the older boy yelp. Lavi responded with using his free hand to try and attack Allen's sensitive sides. Timothy decided to help Allen out – which was when Emilia intervened to pull him away.

"I'll just be off with Timothy for some food, then," she said with a giggle.

"Aww, Emilia!" Timothy whined to no effect.

Allen smiled. "I'll see you later, Miss Emilia, Timothy."

"Yeah, later!" Lavi waved a hand cheerfully.

If he was secretly happy to have Allen's attention all to himself, well – nobody else needed to know.

.

It was a noisy, lively thirty minutes later when Marie covered his ears and advised a confused Miranda to do the same. Not a second later, an earsplitting whine tore through the room. Sounds of pain and grumbling followed afterwards.

"What the hell, Chief!"

"Ah ha, sorry everyone, sorry!" A cheerful, unapologetic Komui said through the microphone, now back to a tolerable frequency. The crowd shifted and murmured, half in apprehension – most had not too fond memories of the last time Komui commanded a stage.

"What's with those expressions!" Komui whined. "Your wonderful, brilliant, magnificent, handsome supervisor has great things in store for everyone tonight!" He pumped his fist into the air, obviously expecting applause.

Silence greeted him, along with a host of suspicious looks.

"Oh, come on, guys!" Komui pleaded. "It'll be fun! You all still have those chips Johnny handed to you?"

Another murmur ran through the crowd as people dug into their pockets for the aforementioned chips. Komui nodded in approval. He caught Lenalee's eyes and smiled, a smile which made several people blanch. The glass of his spectacles glinted, catching the light as he pushed it higher up his nose.

He brought the microphone up with another flourish. "Alright then, my dears! We are going to play games with this!"

He was confused when, after he barely finished, cries of panic erupted, several people rushing for the main doors. Lenalee, seeing that he was doing nothing to stop the mass exodus, had no choice but to run up to grab the mike from him.

"Please, everyone!" She said in an extra sweet voice, desperate to salvage the situation. Most people stopped and looked at her warily, not forgetting that she's a Lee as well. A benign version, but still – better to be careful. Lenalee smiled winningly.

"You do not have to play the games if you really don't want to," she began. The tension in the air began to lift. "These are just party games, nothing humiliating or embarrassing, and we promise it's for something…fun, later on."

"What sort of games?" Emilia said in a clear voice over the noise, curiosity written on her face. Having never experienced the previous party she had no idea what to expect.

Lenalee beamed. "Oh, things like Twister, piñatas, simple, really!"

"What is the 'something fun later on'?" Someone else shouted. Nods followed the question, most people still suspicious over the seemingly innocuous ploy. Lenalee smiled, deciding to reveal it just a little.

"We are having an auction. A _special_ kind of auction, if you will."

There were confused noises and more expectant faces. Lenalee smiled.

"Now, none of us really earn any money, so it's unfair to use money as the price, isn't it?" Some nods and murmurs. "And so, we're using chips and we'll play games to earn more of them! It's simple. The more chips you have, the more spending power. And the things we're auctioning aren't all exactly _physical_ items."

"Oh?" Allen said with sharp eyes and a grin. They shared a look. "Do explain, Lenalee."

"Very well," Lenalee said, playing along. "We've asked people to offer services as prizes. So, if you're a scientist, you can win Brother's promise that he will stamp all the documents you bring to him – "

"_Are you serious?_" Reever hollered from across the room, disbelief evident in his eyes – he wasn't privy to that information! Lenalee nodded even while Komui sobbed at the injustice.

"Of course. Other things up for auction are Jeryy's special dish of the week" – several people drooled, knowing that Jeryy didn't give that up easily – "the ability to destroy any of Brother's concoctions" – a wail from Komui and the fire of competition in the scientist's eyes rose – "a sponsored night out to town" – cheers from every corner of the room, especially from the Finders who rarely get a break – "and, well, lots more! So you see, you'll have fun playing the games, and if you can you might win something at the end of the night too!"

The atmosphere in the room had gone through a sudden transformation. It was undeniably one of the better plans cooked up – there would really be some team bonding activities and stress relievers, and they might even get to win something! People were starting to chatter with more excitement, the cacophony louder than when they were just mingling. Allen and Lenalee hid a smile when Lavi looked in their direction with suspicion.

Of course the Bookman's Apprentice would notice that something more was up.

Allen cheerfully headed over. Lavi gave him a wary look and looked as if he very much wanted to back away for every step Allen took toward him.

"What's this all about, sprout?"

"Why, what Lenalee said, of course," Allen said. Lavi didn't look convinced. "The first game's starting, Lavi, why don't you go join in?"

The preparation for the first game of Treasure Hunt had indeed already begun, with many eyeing Lavi to join their team. With a sigh, Lavi shot one last, extremely suspicious look at Allen before wandering over to join Krory, Johnny, Emilia and Timothy. There was a general excitement in the team as they realized they would be getting the brains of the Order.

Allen and Lenalee shot each other a look again. Their plans, without Lavi knowing, had already been set in motion.

"Everybody in their teams? Alright! Now, listen carefully, the first clue: 'You pass by me everyday, but you use me only when you need me.' Got that? There are a few places that fit, and only two teams will be allowed per location, so think fast, chop chop!"

Even as Lavi digested Komui's words, he absently noted that Allen was not joining in the games and was watching them all with a secret smile.

.

It was no surprise that Lavi's team was one of the first few teams to complete the Treasure Hunt.

After running to the baths, the courtyard, fighting through a maze that was somehow erected there, getting Timothy to rollerblade to beat out a finder to the training rooms which had only one clue left, running to the kitchens and solving a logic question involving scores of food (which they nearly lost when Krory's stomach growled and demanded food), solving a complicated world geography question in the library which Emilia nearly insisted Timothy should do for his education, they finally ran back into the Hall, panting and clutching their sides.

"Aaaaaand team number two is back! You guys win ten chips each!" Komui happily scrawled the results onto a whiteboard. Lavi looked around and spotted team number one.

"Of course," he grumbled. "Reever is there."

"Don't feel too bad!" Allen said from behind him. Lavi jumped. "They have Kanda with them, it must have slowed them down. A lot."

"Beansprout! I'll slice you!" Kanda yelled from across the hall, looking highly unhappy at having been forced into the game by Lenalee. Allen smirked in his direction.

"I can beat you any day."

Kanda growled and reached for _Mugen_. Lenalee, bless her heart, appeared and smacked his hand away from the weapon.

"Kanda!" She frowned. "Behave!"

Allen covered his smile with a hand. Lenalee spun to face him. "You too, Allen!"

"Ah, yes, Lenalee," he said, hastily.

"You're so whipped, man," Lavi said, swinging an arm around Allen's shoulders.

"Anyone would be against Lenalee," Johnny said in a low whisper.

"What's 'whipped'?" Timothy demanded.

"Right!" Emilia said loudly. "I see the other teams are back as well!"

"What's – "

"Indeed!" Komui cried out, the beginnings of manic glee in his eyes. "This is how the chips deduction goes! The last team, you guys have to give up seven chips each, and the second last six, and…"

.

Twister was, predictably, a near disaster for Lavi's team.

They had Krory on their side, which made for an advantage. Krory was tall and rather flexible and could reach impossible spots. They had to send Lavi in as well when there was a call for the second person from each team, and that was when Lavi realized that Twister with over twenty people, even on an expanded mat, was _hell_.

Lenalee was obviously taking a lot of glee in sending the golems around to take videos and photos. Lavi's back cried out in pain.

"Lavi." Allen's clear voice rang out. And of course, with Lavi's luck, Allen just had to be co-gamemaster and be able to control exactly where the wheel landed for the most painful spots. "Left hand…red," he said, amused as the wheel stopped. Lavi cast his eye around for a spot of red.

That was conveniently located around Mandy, a sweet Finder girl. He sighed.

"Sorry, Mandy," he said, reaching up and around her to achieve contact with the red spot. She grinned a little.

"All in the spirit of the game!"

Lavi exchanged a long-suffering look and slightly amused smile with her. Since they were all in it together, he might as well commiserate with other people.

"…Toma, right leg, green," Allen said in a slightly sharper voice.

There was a cry from his corner of the mat, followed by the sound of several people toppling over.

It was going to be a long game indeed.

.

In an attempt to win more chips (since Lavi was absolutely sure some sort of diabolical plan was going on behind the scenes), they worked doubly hard at the mass capture-the-human game. Lavi had never been so glad for his photographic memory.

"'_A man with a secret fondness for romance novels_'? Oh, _oh_! Emilia, go find Jeryy, hurry!"

"Alright!" Emilia ran off, heading toward a conspicuous head of pink. Lavi glanced around him warily to make sure none of his team members were being eyed by others yet. So far so good.

"Hey, Lavi!" Russell shouted from some distance away.

"What? I'm currently trying to figure out which of the two hundred girls we have stalks Yuu, so leave me alone."

"Why don't we form an alliance? We can capture more people that way!"

Lavi eyed the other team which was obviously losing its numbers, having been stripped of many members. The odds were not good.

"Sorry, Russell man! You're on your own!"

"No! Come on, Lavi, help your good friend!"

"No way! We will win this, yeah, Tim?"

Timothy grinned. "Of course! They'll never guess which one leads to me."

"Atta boy." Lavi patted his head.

"Ooooh, I'll curse you in your sleep, Lavi! Just you wait!"

"Sure thing, sure – woah!"

Lavi yelped as he saw Reever running straight at him, eyes gleaming. Frantic, he wondered if that meant Reever got his clue.

"No freaking way, old man! Krory, Timothy, RETREAT! Where the hell are Johnny and Emilia!"

"I've got Jeryy!" Emilia pulled the chef toward them as Jeryy waved a handkerchief in farewell to his team mates.

"Excellent! Let's hide first, Johnny will find us later!"

"STAY STILL, LAVI!" Reever looked very manic, his obvious lack of sleep adding to the effect.

"You'll have to do more than that – WARGH! Yuu!"

"Hmph, you're coming with us."

"Oi! Innocence is not in the rules! Lenalee!"

Lenalee, standing at the side, turned to see what the commotion was all about. Her jaw dropped.

"Kanda, stop it! It's a party, not a battlefield!"

"Stay still, idiot rabbit!"

"Damn, if that's the case – _Oozuchi Kouzuchi_! You guys, duck!"

"Wait a minute all of you, if you destroy you have to pay – AHH!" Komui let out a very manly scream as the hammer swung toward him. Timothy took the chance to grab Komui.

"Gotcha!"

"Awesome! This gives us bonus! And Johnny, c'mere, you. Now, for serious, retreat."

"Erm," Emilia glanced at the side, "Lavi, is it me, or are some of them running at us – "

"They want our blood. LET'S GO."

.

In the jealousy that succeeded their group's overwhelming win in capture-the-human, destroying the piñata became more of a revenge farce than a game. Lavi, wisely, stayed out of the game, using Timothy's exuberance for the game instead.

However, as the game went on, he couldn't help but notice that more people were starting to chat and laugh over the night's games, the party for once more fun than destructive. He supposed there was some truth to what Allen had said, about them not really needing a reason for a party. But –

Now that he was not participating in the games, there really wasn't much to occupy his mind. When Emilia turned and laughed at what Krory just said, looking at him as if to see if he shared the joke, Lavi managed to smile weakly.

And when the piñata was smashed by Marie's group, Lavi took the chance to clap and cheer, hearing an echoing cry of delight run around the room at the delicacies that poured out of the cow. Amidst the cheers his claps sounded hollow to him, and he was well aware that the adrenaline of the games was starting to wear off of him.

"And that's the end of the games, guys, well done!" Komui cried out. There was a cheer all around with the sound of champagne bottles popping, the tables also overflowing with food. Allen and Lenalee nodded at each other and, quietly, they disappeared into the backstage. "Just mingle around and eat something and we'll be out in a second!"

Krory was about to lunge at the food when he noticed Lavi's silence, despite the great number of chips they've won from the games. He decided to wait, smiling when the boy looked over.

"I do wonder what he has in store, all the items?" Krory asked in his low baritone. Lavi's lips quirked up.

"It'll be fun, eh? We won quite a bit, we can outbid the others, whatever it is…where's Allen, do you know, Kro?"

"Hmm?" Krory looked around. "He was just here a while ago, wasn't he?"

"Yeah," Lavi scratched his head. His brow furrowed. "I have the feeling that he and Lenalee are up to something…"

Krory studied him for a while, sipping his drink.

"You watch him a lot, don't you?" He finally said.

"Mm?" Lavi brought his head up and looked at Krory. "Whatcha mean by that?"

"Well, you always look out for him, seeing whether he's around. Is that not the case?" Krory said. He sounded genuinely curious.

Lavi continued looking at Krory, stunned for a while. Krory, even while unnerved by Lavi's stare, didn't back down.

Lavi finally forced a laugh out.

"I'm the Bookman's Apprentice, Kro. What kind of Apprentice would I make if I didn't know such things, eh?" He swiped a piece of bread from a table and nibbled on it, avoiding eye contact with Krory.

Krory didn't look quite convinced. He shifted on his feet.

"Look," Lavi said, finality in his tone. "Allen is prophesized to end this war, alright? I have to keep an eye on him. Gramps told me to."

"Alright, alright," Krory said, raising his hands in a gesture of peace. "If you say so, that must be it, isn't it?"

"Ah."

There was an awkward silence for a while with Lavi chewing on the bread, seeming to lose more appetite by the minute. Krory coughed. "Well, I'll be going to talk to Johnny over there now."

"You go do that, Kro," Lavi said with a wide, brittle smile. Krory nodded and headed off quickly, sending periodic backward glances.

When Lavi was sure that he was alone in spite of the number of people around him, he allowed himself to drop his head into his hands. The bread was tossed to the side.

_Shit, now even Kro has noticed_.

He had forgotten himself, a little, during the games. It was just so fun playing that he had forgotten he was not supposed to be a part of them, even though it was so natural just joining in. What kind of Apprentice was he being, he wondered.

Damn, even Bookman was noticing, he was sure. During the games even as Bookman joined Miranda's team, he knew that the old man was looking over at him every once in a while with those sharp, piercing eyes, waiting for him to slip up or, or something. He didn't know, it was just, he had been on edge the whole evening, ever since he suspected that there was something deeper behind the party that he could not know about, try as he might –

However, there was hardly any time to reflect on that as the lights started dimming and a smiling Komui brought out the first item of the night, a coupon of sorts. The murmuring in the crowd went up and Lavi, hiding himself in the darkness, allowed himself one last forlorn smile before he lifted his head up, smile ready for anyone that might come across him.

He was prepared for whatever the auction threw at him. It was just a game that would end soon, like all party games, and he could go back to life without worrying if he was supposed to join in and party like the rest of them did.

Lacing his fingers behind his head, a faint smile spread across his face as Komui announced, in an excited voice, the start of the auction.

"Okay guys! The Black Order's first ever Auction begins! And for our first item of the night, we have an all-day all-expenses paid coupon for a night out in London. Starting at three chips, just three chips! Oh ho, I have a four here from Michael, four, five from Mandy, anymore takers, anyone up for a six…"

Yes, everything would be fine, there would be nothing left in the night for Lavi to worry about.


	5. A Smooth Criminal

**Entry**** V**: A Smooth Criminal

.

…_nothing really__ did beat the excitement of the auction, though. __**The**__ auction. Apparently Komui didn't actually know that Lenalee would be offering herself up for the bid as well (because of her not-so-secret ulterior motive of affirming Yuu's feelings for her, frigid little block of ice he was). You can imagine how much trouble that caused. _

_Nothing compared to what __**Allen**__'s auction caused, however. _

_Okay, well, no destruction or stuff like that. Just…what it caused for __**me**__…_

.

In the bright wash of light, Lenalee fixed the ribbon around her neck and tilted her head at an angle, smiling at her own reflection. After taking a quick look around to make sure nobody was in the same room, she allowed her smile to turn a little more flirtatious.

"Alright," she whispered, lifting an eyebrow and watching her reflection do the same.

"Looking good, Lenalee," Allen said, popping up beside her and looking amused. Lenalee yelped and spun around.

"Allen!" She blushed at his knowing grin and the appreciative look he shot her. Then, pausing in scolding him for scaring her, she took a good look at what he was wearing.

She swallowed.

"If I didn't have someone I like, I'd totally go for you, Allen."

"Mm?" Allen looked back into the mirror and frowned, tucking an errant lock of hair behind his ear. "You like this?"

Lenalee took a moment to admire his slightly tighter white shirt and the casual jacket he threw over it. He had even popped a few more buttons open on his shirt, just enough for Lenalee to be able to see his collarbone and the beginning of his chest.

"Very nice." She reached over and adjusted his jacket lapels, making it just a little crooked to give him the slightly disheveled look. The shirt was tucked into the tightest pair of pants she'd ever seen. She giggled and pulled it out, letting it hang, most coincidentally, just above his crotch area. After that, everything was fine. She nodded in approval.

"You're taking too much joy in this," Allen muttered as he pondered Lenalee's tube of eyeliner. She smiled and reached up to muss up his hair a little more, adding to the windswept look.

"You look great, Allen," she said sincerely. Placing her face next to his, looking at their reflections, she frowned as she noticed something was missing.

"Eyeliner, of course." The tube was deftly picked up and she uncapped it, motioning for Allen to take a seat.

"Erm, Lenalee?"

"Hmm," she pressed a hand against his cheek and tilted his head both sides in turn, examining the effect the light had on him. "Most guys can't pull it off, but I think you'll look good in this, Allen."

"But, my scar…" He looked hesitant.

Lenalee paused and allowed a sympathetic look to cross her face before she smiled normally again. "Don't worry, it won't affect this. Just close your eyes and stay still…"

Allen gulped as he saw the sharp brush approaching his eyes. Lenalee paused and looked annoyed.

"Allen. Close your eyes. Now."

Taking a look at her face, Allen hurried to obey, squeezing his eyes shut and hoping that he would be alive to actually face the auction.

.

Well, this was vaguely amusing.

Lavi smirked as the scientists clambered over one another to outbid each other for the next item.

Which was no less than the ability to control – or destroy – any one of Komui's inventions, including and not limited to the Komurin series.

"FIFTEEN!" Reever hollered, raising his hand.

Russell quickly counted his money and nodded decisively. "TWENTY! Beat that, old man!" He smirked from across the hall.

Johnny grabbed a few people and pulled their heads together into a quick discussion. Komui was dabbing at his eyes with a handkerchief.

"Hurry it up already!" Russell growled.

"Twenty? Twenty…twenty?" Komui looked up with huge eyes. "Sure nobody wants to up that? Really? Really? Going once – is that a hand I spy? No? You were just stretching?"

"STOP KILLING TIME ALREADY!"

"Go-going, going twice – NO! This is a travesty! It should never have been up for bid in the first place!"

"IF YOU DON'T LET ME BUY IT ALREADY – "

"THIRTY!"

Russell paused, fist raised mid-air, gaping at Johnny. Johnny nodded at a shell-shocked Komui. "Thirty."

Komui slammed his hands on the table. "NOOO! Johnny, Russell, Reever, you traitors!"

"Actually," Johnny put a hand to his chin, "all of us will get a go at destroying it. We'll choose a Komurin."

Reever closed his mouth and thought for a while, his eyebrows knitted together. He met Russell's gaze.

After a moment in which there was nothing but Komui's screeches and the twittering of the crowd, they nodded at Johnny.

"NOOOOO! Thirty? Only thirty? Sure we have to sell this? I mean, I could stamp more documents – "

"Nice try, Chief." Reever smirked. "That's your job and you darn well know it."

"Reever! You, you – "

"This has gone on too long already, Brother."

Everybody turned their heads casually to see Lenalee come out from the side with Allen.

Then their jaws dropped.

Lavi's mind stopped working.

Apparently insensitive to the silently shocked – perhaps even lustful – gazes she was receiving Lenalee plucked the microphone from Komui's slack hand and smiled at the audience.

"So, that's thirty for the 'Destruction Pass' then? Going once, twice, sold! There we go, Johnny."

Komui's face had turned pure white as he actually took in what Lenalee was wearing.

By all means, it was not too revealing, or any such thing. But it was a deep, deep red tube dress with stripes that crossed over her back, showing glimpses of her skin. The whole ensemble stopped just slightly above her knees, a little longer than what she usually wore, but that was – for some weird, hormone-induced reason – even…_sexier_…than her Exorcist uniform. Perhaps by pure virtue of the fact that it was made to be a party dress far more provocative for Victorian times than was usually worn by the women of that period.

To top it off, her hair was curled nicely and rested on her bare shoulders, bringing the attention to her face where Lavi swore she had put on a subtle bit of eyeliner to enhance her eyes even more, and a dab of lipstick to make her lips poutier – make it look kiss-bitten, even.

Lavi knew that he would have totally gone for her if his attention weren't already stolen by the smirking boy next to her who was –

Who was looking straight at him.

Lavi stopped breathing for a while. Allen's lips curled a little, and the light he was in shone on the little bit of skin he was showing, and reflected off the so very tight pants. Allen tossed his head a little – almost like a stag staking its claim – and made very sure that Lavi caught the message in his eyes.

Which, if he dared hope, might have went something along the lines of 'I want you' and 'stop being a fool'. And hopefully, a possessive '_you are mine_'.

Only, of course, if he dared hope. Allen kept his intense gaze on him and Lavi, in his struggle to continue drawing breath, nearly missed what Lenalee said next.

"Okay, everyone, had fun tonight?" Lenalee said, smiling and tilting her head.

Stammers of agreement, mostly from the hot-blooded men in the crowd, answered her call while the ladies just shot her amused looks. Lenalee returned their knowing grins.

"For the last part of the auction, we have two very _special_ bids. Have you ever heard of…bachelor auctioning?"

"Oh no, Lenalee, you _didn't_," the assistant under the Head Nurse said, gasping in delight.

"Yes I did, Emmy," Lenalee smiled. "Tonight, we are auctioning me – "

"NOOOOO!"

Lenalee ignored her brother with ease. " – and our very dear Allen Walker."

There were several squeals from the girls in the crowd, accompanied by more than a few interested glances from the other side of the gene pool.

"Wait." Lenalee raised her hand to stop the flurry of hands raising before the bidding even started – she couldn't help but blush a little at the amount of attention she was receiving, although Komui _did_ affirm daily that she was a blooming lady. By sheer force of will she pushed her apprehension back and hoped to god Kanda was still there.

"There are some rules, of course, given that we are being auctioned here."

Well, of course, Lavi thought. Because who knew what would happen if one of those many men did manage to nab her and, since they knew Komui would kill them anyway, proceed to attempt their wicked way with her? Not that Lenalee wouldn't kill them first, but etiquette was etiquette.

He paid extra attention to what she was saying. Only because this was getting far too exciting – nope, nothing to do with the boy beside her at all, nope.

"One – we are only auctioned off for half a day. And that means tomorrow twelve noon to midnight."

There were some groans of disappointment, affirming Lavi's belief that more than half of them wanted her only because of the potential of sex.

"Two – we call the shots too. You may decide to take us on a date, and we will agree – but as to the activities of the date, if we're uncomfortable with _any_ of it, we can call it off anytime."

That was reasonable – they weren't exactly slaves after all. In the end they were still highly valued Exorcists.

"Actually," she smiled, "those are pretty much the only two rules. If it's fine, we will start the bachelor auctioning." Her smile twisted at the edges, mischievous. Lavi actually heard some guy near him whimper.

She tossed the microphone to Allen, who caught it deftly and flashed the audience another smile before speaking into the device, his voice lower than usual.

"For Lenalee Lee" – Lenalee smiled and turned deliberately just as she reached spotlight, the skirt fluttering around her thighs – "we will start the bid at – "

"FIFTY!" Komui screeched.

Allen smirked. "That's hardly fair to everyone. We'll start it at twenty five."

There was a hushed whispering as Komui turned the full wrath of his glare on the crowd, daring any of them to even start bidding for Lenalee. Lenalee rolled her eyes.

"If there's nobody, then I guess I will just have to elope with the first man who tries, then," she sighed dramatically. Komui whipped his head around to gape at her.

"No, Lenalee! You can't – you can't marry! At all!"

"That's why I'll have to run away," she tapped a finger on her lips, tilting her hip to one side a little and in the process lifting a side of the skirt subtly. Somebody cracked a glass next to Lavi.

"Thirty!" An almost desperate and, in Lavi's opinion, suicidal person called. Komui spun around so fast he should have gotten whiplash.

"Who is the heathen who dares – "

"Thirty two!"

"Thirty four!"

"Thirty seven, damn it!"

"I don't have cash, gimme some – "

"No way! Since I can't _you_ shouldn't be able to either!"

It seemed as though they were emboldened following the first person's vote. It helped that most of them were attempting to shroud themselves in shadow.

Lavi jumped when he heard Allen's voice, low and amused. "Thirty seven, then? Is there no higher bid for such a lovely lady?"

"Forty."

There was a hush at the low voice that announced this. Lavi himself gaped at the man near one of the side entrances.

None other than Kanda Yuu met Komui's stupefied gaze with a steely glare of his own. "Forty."

Allen smirked. "Forty. Is there no one willing to outbid him?"

Kanda growled. "Don't push it, you beansprout – "

Some Finders had apparently pooled their money together, little though it was. "Forty five!"

Allen ignored Kanda and announced the new price. "Forty five is decent enough. Going once, twice – "

"Fifty."

An angry cry sounded from the group of Finders. Komui whimpered in despair.

"Fifty is a grand sum indeed." Allen looked cheerful and far more willing than Komui to proceed with the auction. Unsurprisingly, it had gone at lightning speed for Lenalee.

"Going once, twice" – he glanced at Lenalee and received a nod from her – "gone. To Kanda Yuu, then."

Kanda didn't respond to this other than stalk to the front to throw his bundle of fifty chips into the box on the table. Komui looked like he was about to break something, which was when Lenalee intervened. Throwing one more dazzling smile to the excited and murmuring crowd, she grabbed Komui and pulled him to the side where Jeryy was waiting, as per instructions, to restrain him.

Lavi swallowed when she came back and swiped the microphone from Allen, her cheeks a little flushed under the bright light and the bidding for her company. Although Allen _had_ said to her that it would be no problem, she didn't actually expect Kanda to bid –

Now though, there was a bigger problem to solve. Looking out into the audience, she caught Lavi's eye and smiled, making sure the boy saw it. When he met her gaze and blanched, paling, she lifted the microphone to her lips and started the last auction of the day.

"The moment you've been waiting for, ladies and gentlemen," she said, grinning as Allen walked to the spotlight amidst squeals and applause.

No, Lavi corrected in his head. Allen was positively _prowling_, his eyes gleaming and the smirk pulling at his lips making Lavi a little weak-kneed himself. He knew that Emmy, the nurse up front, was already starry-eyed –

He would _not_ allow himself to gush like the ladies in the room.

Lavi tugged at his collar. Allen had turned to face the audience and was smiling like the last time they played cards against that Noah, his face confident, leaning his hips against the table.

"We will start the bid at twenty five – "

"Thirty!" Emmy waved her hand. The girls around her giggled and nodded. If Lavi recalled correctly, they had chosen to opt out of the games and had observed instead…good. He sighed in relief. That meant they had no chips to hand to Emmy.

Wait, it didn't mean that _he_ would be bidding –

Lenalee smiled. "Thirty. Anybody adding to it?"

"Oh, you're so cute, sweetheart! Thirty five from me, then!"

Lavi nearly choked on his drink when he heard Jeryy add his bid. _Even Jeryy_?

The chef was grinning. Allen looked back at him and grinned, making Jeryy and Emmy – and probably some other shy ladies – swoon a little.

Lavi pressed his lips into a line. Of course Jeryy would be outright and open about his sexuality – it seemed like no one around the room even really cared, given that they were mostly just watching the proceedings with delighted amusement. Then again, Jeryy had always already been a flirty person who made no secret of his fondness for Allen – it was likely most people just closed one eye because he was a wonderful cook, but he knew that in general…they probably wouldn't be _that_ open.

He shook his head, trying to rid the dark thoughts and concentrate on the present instead. Emilia was blushing and counting her money. Then, nodding, she raised her voice. "Forty!"

Lenalee smiled. "Forty? That's a pretty sum – anybody wants to add to that?"

Allen had smiled at Emilia and was looking back up – at Lavi.

Lavi's eye widened. Allen looked as calm as always, but his eyes were less intense now, just placid – in a way which Lavi knew meant that the boy was secretly angry at something and was trying to hide it. It was almost as if the boy was disappointed, though he shouldn't have any reason to be.

Was he, was he actually expecting Lavi to bid for him?

But that was impossible. Lavi likes him, of course – a hell lot too, if he was willing to admit it to himself – but there was no reason Allen or Lenalee would have known. They wouldn't have arranged this just for some sort of action to be taken on his part, would they?

Or – he gaped a little when Lenalee looked at him as well – they would have.

Lenalee was so sure he had a crush the other day when they were talking, and wasn't it true that Allen _was_ flirting with him? Surely his senses weren't so dulled that he misread Allen's moves, and the eye contact the boy was making with him now?

If, _if_ he was thinking this through correctly, it could mean that Allen might like him as well…and if he had the courage to do this it could turn into the most public coming out ever in the history of highly conservative Victorian society. Not to mention the highly anal Vatican rules they were working under.

Lavi's brow furrowed and he clenched his fingers into a fist.

Lenalee was looking a little worried now as she heard the murmurings of the crowd and how not many people had enough chips left to bid. They were merely waiting for the results – she couldn't put it off any longer. Taking another glance at Lavi, who had his head down, she sighed and brought the microphone back up again.

"That's forty then!" She smiled brightly. "Going once, twice – "

Allen looked back to the front, still smiling.

Lavi clenched his fist tighter and lifted his head.

"Forty five."

There was another hush, and Lavi could practically feel all heads swivel around to find out who it was that added to the bid. Krory, next to him, looked at him with shock on his face. Lavi ignored everything and looked straight ahead.

Lenalee smiled, relieved. Allen's shoulders relaxed a little too and, as he did for all the other bidders, he grinned at Lavi, smile bright and eyes now with that intense focus in them again.

Lavi just knew he will be getting hell from Bookman for this.

Bonnaire tapped his – or _her_ (the man's preferred gender pronoun) – lips at this interesting turn of events. Then, he raised his hand. "Alright then, fifty!"

Reever whipped his head around and gaped. "Where did you get so much money!"

Bonnaire sniffed. "Russell gave 'em to me, of course!"

Lenalee blanched a little, knowing she'd have to start counting down at the unexpected competition. "Mm, we have a fifty here! If nobody is adding to it, it's going once – "

"Fifty five."

A second hush, filled with more whispering this time as people started to realize who the bidder was. With his training Lavi managed to rein in his blush, concentrating with his full force only on Allen and Allen's gaze alone.

Allen's smile softened, and he tilted his head a little to the side.

Lenalee smiled in relief, hoping this would be the end of it. "Fifty five! We'll be going once, twice – "

Most people had given up, either because of the lack of chips or because they were simply curious about the fact that Lavi, the Bookman's Apprentice, had actually cast a bid for his own friend. Instead, their heads were swiveling between Allen, who had a grin on his face, and Lavi, who was resolutely ignoring everything around him. The whisperings in the hall had actually increased in volume, filled with more than a few giggles and shocked, unsubtle glances at him.

"And gone!" Lenalee said cheerfully. "And that's the end of the Auction and the activities planned for the night, thank you for your participation!"

Most of them looked back to the front, starting to laugh and clap for the party, even if the end was unexpected, to say the least. Lavi's heart sank as he felt the undisguised disgust from some people, people with whom he had chatted and laughed with during the party.

Emmy and Jeryy did look pretty disappointed that they lost the bid. They seemed to be heading toward him – to question him? To chat about the proceedings of the party? Lavi wanted to curl up a little already what with Bookman looking over at him, his gaze as usual impenetrable and heavy.

Looking up, Lavi saw Allen heading down the stage as well. Quickly pulling out all sixty of his chips, Lavi strode forward and tossed them into the box.

In an equally fast motion, he turned and fled out of the still-bustling hall.


	6. Light Up The Sky

**Entry**** VI**: Light Up The Sky

.

…_which finally led to Komui trying to kill Yuu. _

_But that wasn't so important. _

_The more important thing was, it finally led to the most seriously awkward confession I've ever heard of in my life. The trashy romance novels are false, I tell you, __**false**__. We did it on the dustiest balcony in the history of dusty balconies, I didn't understand Allen, Allen didn't understand me, we spent the better part of an hour in fidgety silence, and did I tell you we did it on a dusty balcony? _

_As to whether we did get things through in the end…_

.

Lenalee would have been worried about Lavi dashing out and Allen subsequently chasing after him –

"LENALEEEEEEE! Why didn't you tell me you were participating too!"

– if she didn't have her own problems to worry about. She looked at the teary and clingy Komui.

"Brother," she sighed, "I have my own reasons for doing it, okay?"

"NOOO, it's not okay!" Komui stomped his foot. "And I'm going to KILL Kanda Yuu for this!" There was a truly mad glint in his eyes as he scanned the hall, looking for the long gone Kanda.

"Brother!" She tugged on his coat and glared. Komui wilted in the face of her glare. He sniffled.

"But, but, but, Lenalee…you're my precious, precious Lenalee! I can't let some man take you like that! I won't let him!"

Lenalee's rolled her eyes, but her expression softened and she smiled kindly.

"I can take care of myself, okay, Brother?"

Komui shook his head wildly, in apparent disagreement. She sighed.

"Look – Kanda is perfectly gentlemanly to women when he wants to be, I'm sure he won't do anything – "

"But you don't know that! He just might! Oh…I know!" Komui gasped and hit a fist into the palm of his other hand, in the classic 'I've just got an insane idea' pose.

"Let me go with you! Then I will make sure to protect your virtue and that dirty man cannot do anything – "

"No."

Surprisingly, the answer did not come from Lenalee herself, though she did look a second away from just knocking the daylights out of Komui. Spinning around, Komui came face to face with a grinning Reever and the posse of smiling scientists behind him.

"We are using the coupon for you to stamp your documents. Tomorrow."

Komui gaped at his previously trustworthy underlings.

"YOU CAN'T! I won't let you I won't let you!"

"Promises are promises, Brother," Lenalee smiled, very sweetly. "You did say the coupon can be used any day…"

"Not _tomorrow_!"

"Oh?" Reever raised an eyebrow. "Tomorrow. It's been unanimously agreed upon."

"BUT – "

"We _will_ see you at eight o'clock tomorrow, right, Chief?" Reever channeled Komui's manic grin and used that against him. "Because if we don't, there's no assuring what will happen to all your Komurins…"

Komui gasped. "You wouldn't – "

Reever narrowed his eyes and hissed, "_Watch us_."

Lenalee nearly felt sorry for her brother. Nearly. She shot a grateful look at Reever, receiving a wink in return.

"B-b-but, are you sure I can't – "

Reever took a menacing step forward.

In the space of Komui's attention being diverted, Johnny shooed her away, flapping his hand in the direction of where Kanda had been accosted by General Tiedoll.

She didn't need anymore prompting. Turning around, she headed straight for her long-time friend, heart beating a little faster than usual.

As she finally made eye contact with Kanda, she hoped, vaguely, that Lavi and Allen were doing alright as well.

.

If there was one thing Lavi didn't like about Allen, it was that he had actually picked up the ability to know what people wanted. In this case, Lavi just wanted to be left _alone_.

Which led to the next thing Lavi didn't like. Even if Allen knew perfectly well what other people wanted, he still insisted on _going against it_.

"Lavi!"

_Shit, shit, shit_. Lavi nearly groaned as he turned another corner, running through the empty corridors in an attempt to find a hiding spot. His room wouldn't do – Allen would just somehow pick the lock and invade his space. The library was out of the question. He could always go back to the busy hall, where Allen couldn't talk to him privately. But that would just invite more stares.

His best bet was to just keep running and hope that Allen gave up.

"Lavi, damn it! Stop right there!"

As if he would. Lavi cursed and narrowly caught himself from crashing into a wall. He ran down the new corridor and spied a flight of stairs, quickly turning into it and hoping it led him somewhere to hide.

When it only led to a small unused room with a dusty balcony, Lavi just groaned and slowed down, flopping onto the floor of the balcony when he reached it, surrendering to his fate. He continued breathing heavily, feeling his clothes stick to his skin. But there was hardly any time to recover just as he heard the first echo of footsteps on the stairs.

He closed his eye, hearing the steps slow then stop completely, replaced by the sound of Allen huffing. When he chanced to peek, Allen was bracing his hands on slightly bent knees, clothes no longer hanging on him as well as it did when he was cool and collected on the stage. Seeing him upfront dispelled the illusion that the boy was immune to sweat and dishevelment.

Well, at least that did make it easier to talk. Lavi sighed and stretched out, bumping his hand against Allen's shin.

"Ah hah…take a seat then, Al-len," he managed to say with a wheeze.

Allen looked at him, eyes unreadable, before he flopped gracelessly onto the ground, all sweaty hair and still panting. Lavi chuckled, breathless.

"Oh man, what a, what a mess…what on earth just happened, tonight?"

Allen gulped in another breath of air, nearly choking on the dust. He did manage to glance at Lavi out of the corner of his eyes and squeeze out, "that's what I'd like to ask. Why on _earth_ did you run?"

Lavi did not answer for a while, the only sounds from him that of heavy breathing. He looked at the clear sky, the railing that ran from his left peripheral vision to where it stopped at his eyepatch, his boots – anywhere but actually at Allen. Allen noticed his stalling tactic and bonked him on the forehead, glaring.

"Lavi."

"Oww, geez." He rubbed his head, still not catching the boy's eyes.

"Lavi…"

Lavi continued rubbing in slow circles. Allen was making a move, as if he was about to lean over Lavi just to be able to catch his eye. Panicking, he sat upright, immediately increasing the distance between himself and his friend. Undeterred Allen shifted forward, heedless of the fact that the seat of his pants was simply gathering more dust with that plan of action.

Lavi could only thank the stars that Allen was on his right and so unable to actually look into his eye.

Allen cleared his throat and placed a hand on Lavi's shoulder, making him stiffen at the unexpected touch.

"Lavi. Do you…why did you do that?"

"Do what?" He hated how his voice was tinny and falsely bright and how Allen would be able to see right through it in an instant. He could feel Allen's gaze on his back.

"Bid for me," Allen said simply.

Lavi didn't answer. He drew a knee up and rested his chin on it, scraping the floor and sending a flurry of dust into the air in the meanwhile, staring out into the bright, distant London lights.

He actually did have to think for a while. Why did he bid for Allen? It was almost as if a gauzy film had been placed over that part of the evening – everything had passed by so fast, and before he knew it the night was over and everyone was looking at him and whispering with their partner, evidently talking about the auction, their eyes following his figure. But as to why he had casted a bid for Allen –

"Were you just…being a friend?" Allen said. His words nearly faltered.

That…might have been part of it. Lavi started nodding. Then he shook his head. He was about to nod again when he just raked a hand through his hair, frustrated.

"I don't know," he could only say.

Allen was silent. The warmth on his shoulder withdrew slowly and Lavi hunched over, not knowing what Allen must be thinking.

He could be angry – if he does like Lavi, as Lavi hoped, then such an answer would only irritate the boy further since it would seem like he was playing with his feelings. But if it turned out Lavi had all along been reading him wrongly, then maybe Allen would be uncomfortable instead, and he would try to hide it by being a considerate friend. Lavi would lose the comfortable physical familiarity with him, Allen would withdraw from him and be a little more like his distant polite self when they had first met.

Lavi choked a little on his own shaky chuckle and pressed his eye into his arm, wishing all these were just a nightmare that daylight would dispel.

Allen, having been silent for the most part, finally huffed and reached his hand out, swatting Lavi on the back of his head this time.

Lavi shot up and grabbed at his head, rubbing at the sore spot. He turned to glare at Allen for the first time in their conversation.

"Whatcha do that for, Allen!" He nearly whined.

"Because you were being an idiot," Allen said with a placid smile on his face. The smile softened when Lavi mumbled something and looked back at the ground, still rubbing his head.

Allen took a deep breath, gripping his own knee tightly.

"Because I like you, you dolt."

Lavi paused.

The wind whistled in the night air and far below, the leaves on the trees rustled.

In that serene lull, Lavi stopped breathing as his mind caught up with his ears.

_Wait what – _

"What?" He managed to croak out. Allen shook his head, his hair flopping limply against his forehead. He frowned and pushed it out of his eyes.

"Said I like you, idiot rabbit."

He _did_ hear that right. He gaped at Allen for a while.

Allen leaned forward to push his jaw up, closing it with a soft click.

His fingers lingered a little on Lavi's jaw before he pulled back with a slight flush on his cheeks, his heart beating a little fast at Lavi's response.

Or lack thereof, and he wondered if he and Lenalee had been doing this all wrong this whole time. It was a daring plan, Lenalee had admitted, too daring, perhaps – hoping they'd be able to kill two birds with this one stone – but it has been said and done, and now they'd both have to deal with the consequences.

He clenched his shaking fingers into a fist and looked away, back to where the distant city lights made a fuzzy yellow line.

Then Lavi's head bowed down, his shoulders started shaking and…he started laughing.

Allen turned his head back around. He looked at him in shock for a while as Lavi laughed softly, a hand over his mouth and his eye crinkling shut. It was a – well, it wasn't exactly the most positive response ever, but it was still better than that awkward silence they had fallen into before he had confessed. Allen fidgeted, waiting for the laughter to subside.

When Lavi finally lifted his head up, he blinked and shook his head at Allen's unhappy scowl, something in his eye making Allen's heart twinge. Allen's scowl subsided and he looked on, concerned.

"Why'd you have to do it…that way?"

Lavi's voice was high and almost scared, Allen thought. Lavi's hand reached up to grip his bandana. He rested his forehead against that hand, fingers gripping spasmodically at the material.

"…Lavi?" Allen dared to ask. He didn't quite understand what Lavi was saying.

"Gramp's gonna have my head – I'm done for – god, why'd you have to, why…"

Something flared in Allen's chest, parts furious, parts pitying.

"If you're regretting it so much now, then you shouldn't have bidded in the first place, Lavi!" He growled.

It hurt. It hurt more than he would have thought – here he was, having confessed, and Lavi just wouldn't even grace him with a proper rejection. Yes, fine, joining in the auction might have been the most colossally stupid idea in the first place – that didn't mean Lavi had the right to –

"If you don't like me that much, then why the hell did you do that!"

Allen glared. His face was flushed, hot. Lavi hadn't even moved from his position, hadn't even moved to _look at him_.

"Answer me, damnit! I didn't go through all these just to have you – "

He broke off. He didn't know what he had expected. In his happier thoughts he had imagined that maybe Lavi likes him, too. Then they would be able to figure out where to go from there. Maybe he could even imagine a little romance for the two of them. They wouldn't go on dates, but they could probably go on missions together – that was as close as it got, after all.

But on the days when the world was wearier and Link just wouldn't stop fretting over the fact that just liking somebody else was breaking the law, he allowed himself to prepare a contingency plan. If Lavi rejected him, fine, life would go on – maybe he'd avoid the man for a while, and they'd see how it went from there as well.

But now everything was falling apart and he had no idea where to even begin grasping at to repair the fabric.

He gripped at his left elbow, feeling it start to hurt. A stinging sensation, nothing he couldn't deal with.

Lavi finally glanced at him, taking in the grip he had on his Innocence.

"Does it hurt?" He asked, quietly and flatly.

Allen shook his head. He laughed, closing his eyes.

"Yes it does, Lavi. Does it matter?"

Lavi sighed. "Course it matters – "

"Because I'm an Exorcist? Because they can't afford to lose me?"

Lavi looked like he had just taken a slap to the face. He didn't look at Allen.

"Are you going to record this down? The Life of Allen Walker, Exorcist Extraordinaire – all for the records, the boy prophesized to end this war, The Destroyer of Time – and his damned problem with his own Innocence."

He laughed, bending over a little. Deep down he knew it was below the belt – he knew it'd hurt Lavi. That was why he said it. He couldn't stop himself.

Lavi hunched in on himself. He drew his arm around his knee, fingers dangling awkwardly, gripping at the air.

Allen deflated, exhausted. His shoulders released the tension he held in them and now he just looked like a defeated clown. The pain in his elbow was a dull ache. If Lavi wouldn't say anything, he'd just leave, he couldn't take this silence anymore.

"…was scared."

Allen froze. He didn't even dare to look up.

Lavi shook his head and resumed, quietly.

"I didn't want anyone else to bid for you – I didn't, I didn't want…yeah, didn't want Emmy and the others to have you, that's why – "

Allen blinked down at his lap. He drew his hands in and clasped them together.

"As friends?" He breathed out.

"…I don't know."

"You don't."

"…I like you, Allen. A lot."

Allen's eyes widened. He lifted his head, slowly, turning to face Lavi. Lavi had also turned to look at him, a little sad half smile on his face.

"Think you gathered that, in the past week. Or two."

Allen blinked. A shaky smile began to stretch his lips. "Yeah…maybe."

"Yeah."

Then Lavi turned back to face the front, looking out into the dark night. Allen fidgeted – the silence was not so awkward now, but it was still a little uncomfortable. Not all was solved, he was wondering what to say next.

So what now? Set a time and place for tomorrow? Drop it, and go on with their lives? How –

"I think – "

Allen stopped himself from jumping. He nodded, encouraging Lavi to go on.

"Gramps is gonna get mad at me. Not supposed to like anyone, not supposed to fall in – fall in love."

Allen had to admit, he hadn't thought so far ahead – it was as if everything could be magically solved if they, well, if they said they like each other. But being a Bookman meant _something_ to Lavi, who liked his books, his histories, his explorations. Would this really take all that away from him?

"Yeah, it'll."

Allen blinked. He didn't think he had said that out loud.

Lavi grinned. "Could read it off your face, sprout."

"But," he was sure it couldn't be the be-all and end-all of it, "Bookman is – he's old. There's no time for him to train another apprentice."

Lavi rested his chin on his arm, thinking.

"Right…he can't. I don't know. I never know what Gramps is thinking – he might just take us away, for all I know."

Allen paled slightly at the thought. He certainly did not want that outcome. Romance or no – Lavi was his friend. His best friend in the Order. He didn't want Lavi to go.

Crowned Clown hummed a little, making him startle at the sudden sensation.

Lavi frowned, really worried now. "Allen, if it's hurting – "

"I'm fine."

Lavi rolled his eye. "Allen – "

He shook his head. "No, really – Hevlaska said it's not threatening or anything."

Lavi hesitated. Then, as if throwing all caution to the wind, his eye gleamed in the small sliver of moonlight and he reached out, tugging Allen's left arm out of his hold.

Allen jumped and looked at him, mouth dry. But why would – why would Lavi –

Lavi had his left hand in a firm grasp, his hold warm and a little sticky from the hot, humid day they had had. He looked down and touched the back where the cross was embedded.

"Why – did she say, why?"

Allen flushed. "She said…she said something's been troubling me, something that's causing my rate to fluctuate."

Lavi's lips quirked up. He clasped Allen's hand between both of his.

"Is that something me?" He asked softly, a weaker version of his teasing tone coming back into play.

"Full of yourself, aren't you?" Allen huffed.

Lavi smiled, but his voice was sober. "I mean it, Allen – I, I don't know what'll happen. I like you. But – "

"I'm not asking for a deep, soul-abiding love or something, Lavi," Allen said, patiently, daring to hope.

Lavi chuckled. "I know – but I think I might really…I don't know."

"…fall for me?"

"Now who's full of themselves?" Lavi grinned.

Allen smiled, a little happy for the first time in their whole conversation.

"Do you – do you want to?"

Lavi swallowed, grip tightening on Allen's hand. "Want to…what?"

"Give it a try? Maybe the auction was weird and all…but you did win my company, for tomorrow." Allen was nervous as he asked this question. He knew Lavi likes him – at least, he thought he knew, and if they weren't going to try it out, he didn't know what their next step would be.

Lavi ran a hand through his hair, a little nervous himself.

"You know…it's not gonna be easy, yeah?"

Allen chuckled a little, the sound low and amused, making Lavi's heart skip a little.

"Not like I'm the most popular guy ever in the first place. Noah, heresy and all, remember?"

"Yeah, s'not like I can't continue recording history, I guess…"

It was a lie. They both knew it was – Lavi had to fit in, effortlessly, and he'd done so well up till now when he pretty much bared his soul in front of near everyone. Bookman would definitely get on his hide for this.

But for now – it was a lie they were willing to try and believe in.

"Okay. I will see you tomorrow" – Lavi grinned – "my prize."

Allen laughed, lacing his fingers through Lavi's, feeling the pain in his left arm slowly ebb away until he could feel nothing but his own cooling sweat and the warmth of Lavi's palm against his.

.

.

.

…_it was long, it was twisted, it was strangely simple in the end. _

_But I guess we did, sorta. Get things through, that is. _

_And for now, I couldn't ask for more. _

_- __**10 August, 1895**_

* * *

**End Notes**:

Thank you to all who followed and enjoyed this story :) This was written for the DGM Big Bang Round 1. And since it's a Big Bang... *g*

A wonderful cover and scene art by tsuzusushi here! (http:/ /dgmbb-admin. dreamwidth. org/3524. html)  
And a lovely scene art (of the Auction itself!) by behaxeltzi here! (http:/ /dgmbb-admin. dreamwidth. org/3176. html)

Hope you enjoy the art as much as I did, and the story too! Till next time then.


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